Lily Potter and The Years Spent Watching
by perksofbeings
Summary: James and Lily Potter are dead. However, they have a link to the land of the living. It's fickle, but they can still see their son from time to time. This is their conversations while watching their son face the destiny they never wanted him to have.
1. Chapter 1

They where dead. The Potters looked at each other with horror on their faces. They were dead, and Voldemort was going after Harry next. And they were powerless to stop it.

"He betrayed us," Lily whispered.

"He did…" They both waited for Harry to join them. Silently looking around at the room they found themselves in they noticed a mirror. James carefully walked closer; he was dead. What else could happen to him? He took a step back in shock as he saw not his reflection, but his son.

"Lily," James whispered softly as his wife came closer. "It's Harry."

And there he was. Their son was sitting in the rubble of their destroyed home, crying loudly for someone to comfort him. "Look at his forehead, what happened?" She whispered.

"Voldemort probably." James clenched his fist as they watched their son cry out, wanting nothing more than the reach through the mirror and cradle him in his arms. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." Lily nuzzled closer into her husbands' side for the comfort he would provide. "I don't know James."

They stood and waited for Voldemort to come finish the job. To finish their son. But there was nothing for a long while. They watched as Severus climbed the stairs to Lily's body, to which she turned away and investigated the room while James watched with fire in his eyes. She only came back when Hagrid picked up Harry and took him away from the house. Once she realized where he was heading a sob escaped her throat. Someone was sending him to her sister. Her sister and her awful muggle husband would destroy the best part of her life. She swore that she would rip whomever it was limb from limb whenever they joined her in this afterlife.

While they were able to watch for a few days, they noticed that the mirror was growing weaker. Eventually, it stopped working altogether and they were forced to explore the rest of the world. They found an entire neighborhood of the dead outside their doors. But they were careful not to reveal their secret, that they had a portal to the land of the living in their room. Granted. It wasn't working currently. But they had faith it would. Someday.

10 years later.

"LILY! IT'S WORKING AGAIN!" Lily had been working on reading her way through the books in the library. It seemed like most of her books had made the transfer over. But she wasn't sure. Even after 10 years, she wasn't sure how this place worked. Though she was grateful to see her friends and continue on life as she wished the afterlife worked much differently than what she thought it would be. What the muggles had come up with in terms of an afterlife might be the most accurate.

When her husband called, she flung the book to the side and raced into the spare room. They had changed the guest room into a mirror room. Where the mirror sat opposite a love seat, the curtains where closed and it was generally only used for the rare glimpses they got of their son.

James was sitting on the loveseat, already pulled up as close to the mirror as he could get without obstructing anything. She flung herself down next to her husband and watched wide-eyed as she took in the scene in front of her.

The mirror had mostly shown them Harry on his birthday, where they sung him happy birthday quietly to themselves and usually got a small cake. But his birthday was tomorrow. His 11th birthday. A significant birthday in any wizards life. There was the house Harry had been raised in for several years. When the letters came flying out of the fireplace, both of the Potters jumped in shock. "They haven't given him his letter have they?" James frowned.

"I don't think so. I knew she'd try to keep the magic away from him."

"She does know that it's impossible for a wizard not to perform magic, right? As in impossible like asking a muggle not to breathe."

"I'm sure she has a feeling that is the case. But Vernon doesn't."

They watched as the letters flew around the air, and then Vernon's meltdown. They held their breath as they waited for the screen to go dark. But it didn't. As the family drove James risked a comment. "Your family is insane."

Lily's reply was a pillow to the face. "That land walking walrus isn't part of my family. How dare you suggest that that man is my family. He's married to my sister. Who has an awful choice in men apparently." Lily glared at James, who found that he couldn't help but grin while Lily was this angry.

"So who do you think is sending the letters?"

"McGonagall," Lily replied without a second thought. "I think she hated my sister almost as much as I did."

James looked at her baffled before smiling widely. "We taught her well."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." She grinned over at James before going back to watching her idiotic brother in law drive them around.

And the mirror kept working. It kept working till Harry walked into the hut, then as if the storm had broken the power it had turned off. So the pair took turns getting ready and fell asleep on the floor of the room as they had every night of Harrys birthday. They got an entire day to watch him, and that was the best gift. They didn't want to waste a moment of it.


	2. Chapter 2

BOOM. The Potters sat upright in the little nest of blankets they had made the night before. BOOM. The mirror had turned itself back on. "What was that?" James looked into the mirror, trying to see what was happening.

"I don't know," Lily said as Vernon came out of the room holding a gun. "HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET A GUN?" She was suddenly wide awake.

"What is a gun?" James looked at his wife, confused.

"A muggle killing curse, and what we should have fucking gotten when we were in hiding. Voldemort would have never seen it coming." She sat closer to the mirror, worried.

"YOU DIDN'T MENTION THIS THEN LILY?" James ran fingers through his hair, half annoyed.

"Listen you had it all under control! 'We'll be safe. Magic is on our side. Peter is one of the most trustworthy people I know.' And look what happened?"

"You agreed to it!"

"Because they where your friends that I adopted! I figured you would know which one was the best to trust."

Suddenly a smash came from the mirror, and the argument was put on hold as a figure entered the hut. Lily smiled warmly as they stepped into the light. "Hagrid! I can't believe they let him get Harry again. Figured someone else would have to do it."

"Because of your sister?"

"Well, of course." There was a pause while everyone in the mirror stared at each other. Then Lily screamed. "HAGRID THE GUN!"

They both were amazed as Hagrid paid no mind to the weapon pointed at him, and instead sat down. When he addressed Harry, both Potters got teary-eyed. "Damn right he looks like me." James smiled. As Hagrid opened the cake, Lily broke into proper tears. "Our baby's second birthday cake. Hagrid you're too good of a man." James wrapped an arm around Lily as she cried.

When Harry said that he didn't know Hogwarts they both felt a stone sinking deep into their stomach. He wouldn't know anything. They both muttered curses under their breath as Hagrid yelled. Fully agreeing with everything he was saying

James was fuming. Fucking muggles, fucking assholes. His son deserved better than what those fuckers were giving him. He was glad that Hogwarts would be able to protect him soon. Harry deserved love, and it was evident that the muggles weren't giving it to him.

"He's not going my ass," James muttered. Lily ignored him as she kept her eyes trained on her sister.

"Ah yes, you can totally stomp magic out of a magical child." Lily sighed as her sister started on her rant, angry tears welling up. "O fuck you too. It's not like I didn't beg for them to let you in. Not like I didn't try everything to get you into Hogwarts. It wasn't my fault I was a wizard. Sorry that it skipped you. No reason to treat my son LIKE ABSOLUTE SHIT ALL THESE YEARS!" Lily screamed at the mirror.

"A CAR CRASH?" They both screamed. "A CAR CRASH?" Lily looked bewildered. "Like hell I'm going to die in a car crash. A car crash. It took a DARK LORD to kill me! You fucking bitch."

"Damn right everyone knows our name!" James yelled at the mirror. "We're famous!"

"James, not now. Brag tomorrow."

"I will." He grinned over at his wife. Despite the anger, he was happy to be here. Raging with his wife over her sister and cheering on the people he loved, watching their son. He turned his attention back to the mirror and heard his story. Their story.

Then Vernon made what might have been the biggest mistake of his life. Lily gasped, and James had a smile as Hagrid roared with anger holding the umbrella.

"HAGRID NO!"

"HAGRID YES!" James dissolved into laughter as Dudley grew a pigs tail. "LILY HE'S SO MUCH A PIG THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO DO!"

Lily, on the other hand, looked horrified over what Hagrid had done. "James he could get in trouble!"

"Eh, Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen. They can just say that it was all a mistake." James kept laughing, holding his stomach as he doubled over.

"You have too much faith in him."

"He's Dumbledore. What's the worse that could happen?"

Lily frowned as she watched Hagrid and Harry settle in for the night. She was worried about Hagrid. They might not have been close while she was alive, but she knew he loved Harry. He had a soft spot for him, and therefore, she had a soft spot for the giant. The mirror blinked once, then twice before fading out.

"What happened?" James whispered. "It normally gives us a day."

"We got yesterday… maybe it decided enough was enough."

"Well, we will just have to hope that it turns back on." James nodded at the mirror. "Thanks for the laugh mate."

Lily shook her head as she tucked into her husbands side. "If Hagrid gets in trouble I'm saying I told you so."

"Fair enough."

And with that, they fell asleep for a second time. Both were praying the mirror turned back on. Though he wouldn't admit it, James was hoping that Dudley would turn into a full pig come morning.

Diagon Alley

That morning the mirror still wasn't turned on. Lily and James took turns sitting in the room while the other did something else. People didn't bother to come visit them, for once. Friends knew that the Potters wanted to be alone on their sons birthday. They weren't sure what the neighbors thought, but they never cared enough to ask. They where left alone.

"Do you still think Dumbledore is a crackpot?" James asked Lily as she walked back into the room after grabbing something to eat. They learned that they didn't have to eat, or do anything really. But they still could enjoy the taste of food.

"Yes. I mean I think he sometimes has best intentions at heart… but are we sure he _always _does? He just seems… I don't know. I'm wondering if he's just a man playing chess against Voldemort sometimes." She shrugged. "I think he is a great man. Just sometimes I wonder."

James looked at his wife and nodded. "I think he is a great man too. And I still trust him. But I just wanted to let you know that your unease is heard."

"I mean there's nothing we can do. Though if he is using our son as a chess piece I will end him."

"Lily you're threatening to kill a lot of people. What happened to the sweet woman I knew?" He grinned at her.

"People started fucking with her son." She shoved him lightly as she sat down next to him to wait.

Around 10 the mirror turned back on. Hagrid and Harry where in London from the looks of things. "Diagon Alley!" James grinned. "They're going to Diagon Alley!" He leaned closer to the mirror.

"I remember my first trip to Diagon Alley." Lily leaned back against the chair. "It was like a dream, all the smells, sights and things that I only thought where in books."

"What was your favorite thing about Diagon Alley?"

"The bookshop."

"Of course. You're such a nerd." He laughed.

Lily laughed along with her husband. "You married me, and chased after me for how many years?"

"Best years of my life." They shared a kiss before turning back to the pair in the mirror.

They watched as Harry and Hagrid walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly the pair was mobbed as people walked forward to shake Harrys hand. They pointed out the people they knew, and people they had heard of from their time in the Order.

"People think highly of us, and him." James looked amazed. "We didn't do much. Just got 'blown up'."

"You forget that Harry blew up the Dark Lord." Lily sighed. "Pretty damn good considering he was 1."

They kept watching as the pair went to Gringotts. When their vault was opened Lily let out a low whistle. "Damn James."

"Lily. My parents where rich. Like stupidly rich. Of course we had a bunch of money."

"I got such little time with those riches so _EXCUSE _me for forgetting we had money and now Harry is set for life." The redhead rolled her eyes.

"Whose that little punk?" Lily squinted as Harry stood next to a blonde haired child in the robe shop after he insulted Hagrid.

"No idea."

"I don't like it." The child spoke about 'those types' and Lily rolled her eyes. "Now I really don't him."

James crossed his arms. "This sounds like how Sirius's bitch of a mother wanted him to behave. Muggleborn haters."

"Well good thing for us he wasn't like that."

"Good thing for everyone he wasn't like that."

They spent the rest of the day poking fun at little things. ("Thank you Hagrid for making sensible purchases unlike two other boys I know.")

By the time Hagrid and Harry left Diagon Alley the mirror was flicking off again. "If Tuny treats him poorly again I'll kill her again after your done with her." James got up and stretched after the mirror turned off.

"As long as I get her first."

"Of course dear. She's your sister. Come on, time to leave the room."

"When do you think it'll turn back on?"

"September 1st." James grinned. "I have my money on Gryffindor."

"Of course you do." Lily shook her head lovingly as they left the room.


End file.
